I still need to check the last 2 maps when they got updated so it might be a while before I get to try these two but they both look amazing!

First map initial impressions from looking at the map is that I like how the Swamp area is BIG compared to Iron Crown. Seems like Hydras will be a lot more useful than they are in Iron Crown. Also it seems quite brutal with how some areas that the zombie’s have broken out are quite far from any starting area. Also since this isn’t going to be one of those team vs team matches it seems, I like how it’s not symmetrical and seems more real like an area off a real map.

Second map I like how the starting position is very away from the zombies. If the proposed deployment changes where you can only deploy 1 hero per settlement every 6 hours, this map will be really interesting and fun I think. Even if the deployment changes don’t come, all players will need to be on the ball I think before things get out of control fast.

With both maps I think with just 1-2 inactive players, it can really make all the difference. So final thoughts are both look amazing and I can’t wait to try them out.

These look fun! But they highlight a worsening problem as more maps are built/altered, which is that when going to create a game, there’s no easy way to see the map! You have to create the game, give it a name & password, and load in just to look around and decide if you want to play it. I think a better game hosting interface–a lightbox with a blown-up picture of the whole map to look at, or even just a list of available races on a map–would be a huge step to make the game more accessible, in my opinion. Filters and such (races, numbers of players, map size, etc) would obviously be great as well.

Basically, I feel like it shouldn’t take me ten minutes of loading screens just to figure out which new map I want to try out next!

Yes, you’re totally right! We’ve talked about adding descriptors / filters to the maps, which will become more important as we add more maps. I think a blow up preview of the full map would be good too.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Sanctuary? I’m finding that there is not as much cooperation needed as in other maps - particularly at the top. The Elven zombies (south-west) were eliminated first, followed by the humans (south-east) and then the Dwarves in the north-east and north-west.

I’m thinking about swapping the north-east Dwarven zombies with the south-east Human zombies. Also, I would either toughen up the Elven zombies, or change the Elven zombies to human zombies. I thinking this would lead to more spreading out of zombies around the map (the Dwarves don’t spread out much), and hopefully lead to more cooperation - kill the humans/elves first and then team up on the Dwarves.

Based on 3 games now on Sanctuary, I think the lack of cooperation is based on the initial set up.

The Orcs and Trolls are set up to cooperate to kill the two zombie groups between them.
The Goblins can handle the troll zombies on their own.
Little reason for elves to cooperate with anyone early - they seem to have the earliest initial expansion with 3 mana pools.
The dwarves have the most problematic start - zombies can come at them from 4 directions. They have lots of gold, but lack mana and expand to slowly to set up a perimeter.
In theory, the humans and dwarves could cooperate - in practice they fight separate battles, humans South and East, Dwarves North, East and West.

In general, I categorise humans, orcs and dwarves as the most dangerous zombies, based on strength, town size and movement rates. Dwarves and Humans adjacent with lots of human/dwarf to expand to makes it tough in the North.

Overall, I would toughen goblin/elf zombie locations and weaken humans/dwarves.
Also consider moving the zombies to place them between players to increase cooperation - e.g.

Move human zombies to between human and dwarf player

Put bridges across the river between elves and elven zombies so the elves cant ignore them

Move the goblin start north and the troll zombies north East, though this will increase pressure on the troll player

Thanks for the feedback @strategicthinker! You’re talking about a different map - Fountain of Wisdom - but I appreciate the feedback all the same!

There is a new version of Fountain of Wisdom now and I’ve tried to make the it faster for the Dwarves to get out and about. I’ve added some more settlements around the Trolls, and I swapped around some Troll and Orc settlements to let the zombie Goblins get into the Orcs and to let the Orc player get access to some Trolls.

I’m currently finishing up a Hard game of Sanctuary. The NW dwarf zombies are just about taken care of, the SW elves will be next, followed by the Eastern hordes. My thoughts are the lack of cooperation stems from 2 key issues:

Every player starts as Elves and has nearby Human/Dwarf settlements, meaning they have the same pool of CC/heroes to draw on. Less reason to ask the other players to send a specific hero over for CCing.

Every player spends the first 2-3 days just containing their own personal threat and doesn’t have enough resources to spare for cooperation.

Yes, you’re right about the symmetry. I was thinking about the groups where everyone wanted to play as the same race, with minor twists. Depending on which quadrant you take, you’ll be Elves/Elves, Elves/Dwarves, Elves/Humans, or Elves/Dwarves/Humans. Plus the zombie threat will be different. I think different cards that people have and different combos they prefer would come into it as well.

I don’t mind it, but it’s a bit more like playing side-by-side, rather than playing cooperatively.

I could move the zombies to the north/south/east/west, so they are all between players, rather than in separate quadrants.

Yes, you’re right about the symmetry. I was thinking about the groups where everyone wanted to play as the same race, with minor twists. Depending on which quadrant you take, you’ll be Elves/Elves, Elves/Dwarves, Elves/Humans, or Elves/Dwarves/Humans. Plus the zombie threat will be different. I think different cards that people have and different combos they prefer would come into it as well.

The problem in our Hard game was nearly all the zombies were dwarf zombies, and they spawned in large enough numbers (with no gaps between the mountains where you could intercept them) that attempts to save the dwarven settlements were nearly futile. I only saved my dwarves in the NW (along with the gryphons) because the NW player helped me CC them into manageable groups. The southern dwarves were completely wiped out, aside from a single settlement; we trained them all into troops and immediately withdrew to the plains to lure them out into the open.

I had a similar issue with the elves in the SW; since there was no gaps between the forests (and all the elven towns were packed so tightly they’d spread like wildfire between the settlements), I couldn’t fight them outside of the forest without a Dragonhelm Knight. I could fight the zombies from the isolated forest to the south (next to the dwarves) out on the plains, but it was a case where it being directly south (instead of, say, west/east) hampered me, because there were 2-4 different paths they could take to the same town and they moved fast enough I had a small window to reposition my troops.

(I’m tempted to use this as a springboard for why it’s bad that it’s harder to defend against zombies directly north/south of you compared to east/west, but I want to mull over that a bit longer.)

The Dwarves are almost always the last zombies to take out, I think, because they are slow to get out of the mountains, there are so many of them, and they sit and guard and mountains.

I’m going to try moving the zombie spawns so that they are directly in the north/south/east/west, so each player has 2 shared problems with 2 other players, rather than their own quadrant to take out, and see how that plays.